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Is the Church equal to all?

Is it ok for a leading left politician to enter the Madbaha (altar area) to meet a Thirumeni (Bishop), that too when he is changing his dress? Is it ok to have scantily dressed bridesmaids and usherers for a high society wedding in an Orthodox church in Kerala?

Both these incidents happened during a recent wedding in our Church, the St. George Orthodox Cathedral in Trivandrum. Now what has irked the parishners is that today the Vicar has asked people to dress decently while coming to church. He also asked parents to ensure that their children are dressed properly while coming to church.

While this can be accepted and is within his authority, why didn’t the Vicar stop the usherers / cheer girls? Why didn’t the Vicar stop Kodiyeri Balakrishnan from entering the Madbaha?

In the last one year, two weddings held in our Church have crossed all limits of propriety (the first was the wedding of the son of Jiji Thomson, an IAS officer now based in Delhi and the second was the wedding of the son of Dr. Saramma Thomas, a leading doctor here).

A signature campaign (by the Committee members) to highlight the desecration of the Madbaha and the role of event managers in these weddings was also done after this incident and the petition sent to Bava Thirumeni, the head of the Orthodox Church in India. The local media had also carried reports on this. But I am sure nothing will happen.

It’s clear that the rich and the famous can do anything and get away with it. Will the church ever treat everyone as equals?